Press

SPLITSIDER - August 20th, 2015

The name Matt Evans needs to be recognized by a whole lot more people. This October, after a career full of Christopher Guest-ian digital contributions that seem like the weekend work of a much more established comedian, Evans has a serious shot at making a splash with his NYTVF-selected pilot Jealous Dad (shot, directed, and edited by the prolific Bill Scurry). Starring his real son, Finn and co-written by his wife, Christine Walters, Evans’s ode to parents outdone by their wunderkind offspring is a true testament to the talent and perseverance of a talented comedic performer flying way too far under our radars. It’s time that changes and, this October, I bet it does.

The main tenet of improv requires that actors work cooperatively together when on stage. Though there are no such rules off of it, both Holden native Matt Evans and his wife, Christine Walters, have held true to that concept as they attempt to climb the ladder of show business success while raising a family in Westchester, N.Y. There is no spousal rivalry to determine who can reach the highest rung first. There is only the knowledge that whoever does will be there to pull the other up. “I think our attitude is whoever can get up and running with any of these projects we have is great,” Evans said. “I think we're just a team rooting for each other.”

“Screw what’s popular. Do what you love!” It sounds great, but isn’t always so realistic. Though we all want to be masters of our creative domains, vigilantly pursuing the arcane passions that occupy the darkest recesses of the right brain, that shit just won’t sell. So, too often, we’re forced to shelve what we believe in to pursue that which we know (or we hope) will pay the bills. We still say: “Screw what’s popular. Do what you love!” but what we really mean is: “I’d love to do graphics for that freelance commercial project advertising your ink and toner business!” Anything to keep the lights on. Add a spouse and kids into the equation and it’s easy to see why our big career dreams can become quashed by real world responsibilities. But it doesn’t have to be that way. If we’re smart and determined and resourceful, there’s nothing to say we can’t have it all. Take it from Christine Walters, Matt Evans, and Maggie Kemper Rogers.